Monthly Archives
Well, typically, Memorial Weekend officially marks the end of the school year (almost, but not quite this year) and the beginning of Summer. In fact, this year, Memorial Day is actually the last day of May – Monday, May 31st! But no matter when your child gets out of school this year, Summer begins this Tuesday, June 1st! I am seriously excited about all the awesome things happening at Coastal this Summer and in particular during the month of June – the biggest of which is Summer of IMPACT! If you and your family haven’t yet signed up for multiple projects, it’s time to do so! And I seriously encourage you to spread the word with your friends, neighbors, family, and co-workers, especially those people in your life who don’t have a church or who aren’t even believers. Why? Because God created everyone with the desire to be a part of something bigger than yourself and to make a difference. And believe it or not, most churches don’t have a very good reputation for serving and loving their communities unconditionally. So leverage Summer of IMPACT as way to include those who might not darken the door of a church yet, but would be willing to volunteer in the community. Don’t you see? Not only is Summer of IMPACT an opportunity to serve and bless our community and you, but it is also an opportunity for outreach! If you have any questions, please reach out to Pastor Chris Jones at 843-870-4613.
Another reason I’m excited about June here at Coastal is that on Sunday, June 13th, we kick off one of our favorite sermon series traditions here at Coastal – “AT THE MOVIES”! It’s where we take current or popular movies and use them as a hook to talk about spiritual truth. ALL 1st Time Guests will receive FREE Movie Tickets to Citadel Mall Theater (and the person who invited them – YOU) throughout the entire series. There will be popcorn, movie trailers, and cool giveaways!We’ll also be taking anyone who is available to see the new “Peter Rabbit 2” movie on Tuesday, June 22nd, 10am at the Citadel Mall Theater. And we’re picking up the cost of the ticket! It’s our way to thank you and bless our community (your friends – yes, please invite and bring friends). Simply let us know how many people you’ll be bringing to the movie (respond to this email or let us know on your Connect Card).
But the best part of our “At the Movies” kick-off on June 13th is that it’s also the day of our Beach Baptism out at Folly Beach County Park at 5pm! Come out early (traffic might be an issue) and make it a fun day for your entire family! If you are interested in getting Baptized, simply respond to this email or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday. Either way, come out and celebrate with us!
And then, of course, there is Father’s Day on Sunday, June 20th! There will be FREE Kona Ice for everyone, a gift for all the guys (I’m real excited about the gift), and some fun giveaways (yes, probably MEAT) at the end of each service! Oh, and on top of all of that (Summer of IMPACT, At the Movies, Beach Baptism, Father’s Day), our Student Ministry (6th-12th Grade) just unveiled their Summer Calendar with a ton of events, activities, and service projects! Go to their Instagram page and see Ryan Spell for all the details.
As you can see, it’s going to be a great Summer at Coastal! The only thing that’s potentially missing right now is. . .YOU! We can only provide the opportunities for connections, community, and service. You have to make the choice to participate. I hope you will! I love YOU, I love being your Pastor, and I love what we get to do together!
Making An IMPACT With You!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
WE’RE BACK Baby! Not sure if it’s by “popular demand” or not, but either way our little Cooking Show – Cookin’ & Dishin’ (sometimes called Grillin’ & Chillin’) with Pastor Chris & Janet will be back on Facebook Live THIS Wednesday (TOMORROW) evening, May 26th at 8pm! This was something we did during the COVID Shutdown to connect with everyone and wound up having a lot of fun in the process. It’s from my own personal Facebook page, so if we’re not friends yet, please friend me. Just like we did before, we’ll be cooking a meal, talking about all things Coastal, and as always a lot of laughing and having fun! And as an added bonus, we’ll actually be drawing names and giving away 2 FREE MEALS!
This week’s menu is: Tomato Soup (Janet’s favorite), Cheese Biscuits (these are LEGIT – you’ll never want a Red Lobster cheese biscuit again), and Brownies (some of the best – and easiest – I’ve ever had)!
I hope you’ll join us!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Summer of IMPACT is now less than two weeks away!! If you are fairly new to Coastal, Summer of IMPACT is a month-long effort (the entire month of June) where we as a church saturate our community with the love of Jesus through simple acts of service. There is something for everyone – from serving through our existing partnerships with non-profit organizations all over Charleston like the Lowcountry Food Bank, Soldiers Angels, the Ronald McDonald House, Tri-County Family Ministries, and Lowcountry Orphan Relief, to sewing pillowcases for the Children’s Hospital, to helping widows, the elderly, and single moms with small home projects, to feeding, clothing, and bring supplies to literally hundreds of hungry, hurting, and homeless people all over Charleston. There are opportunities nearly every day of the month. You simply sign-up and then show-up. It’s literally that easy. Every project has a leader and every project is well-organized.
So here’s what I am asking you to do RIGHT NOW: Click on this link: https://coastalcommunitychurch.org/outreach/. Take a look at all the opportunities. Find the project(s) right for you and then sign up today! You can sign up for as many opportunities as you want directly from our website. And by the way, you don’t even have to call Coastal your home to participate! Spread the word and invite and bring your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to serve! If you are looking to Make an IMPACT in our community, this is the way to do it! Let’s make this the best Summer ever! I love you, I love our church, and I love being your Pastor!
Speaking of Making an IMPACT, this past week has been Teacher Appreciation Week over at Oakland Elementary School. There are two schools directly across the street from our church, Orange Grove Charter Middle School (the older school which originally housed Oakland), and Oakland Elementary School (the newer building behind Orange Grove). During the first 14 years of our church, when we were portable, I promised God that wherever He physically planted our church that we would be a good neighbor to our community. Well, when we ended up in our current location at 460 Arlington Dr. you’d have to be blind not see the little Elementary School right across the street. It was the perfect place to start loving and serving our community. And that’s exactly what we’ve done for the past 17 years. And now, words truly can’t describe the special relationship that we have with Oakland. I wish each and every one of you could have heard all the words of gratitude and goodwill expressed about our church (YOU) this week from the Staff at Oakland. Every day this week each Teacher and Faculty member got a gift or some treat from our church.
Just remember that all of this (including Summer of IMPACT) is made possible by your consistent, generous giving. You can give through our website or simply text ANY amount to 843-277-8337. I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
Wow – what an AMAZING Mother’s Day at Coastal this past Sunday! We kicked off our new series called “Conversations,” talking about our identity in Christ. We had 9 families participate in our Baby/Child Dedication (Our next one will be Father’s Day – sign up on your Connect Card). And we continue to see families each week that we haven’t seen in-person in over a year. In fact, other than Easter weekend, this was the first Sunday that we were well over 50% of our normal in-person attendance. I hope that trend continues. But most importantly, whether you’re in-person or online, continue to invite your friends to join us!
This Sunday in our “Conversations” series, I’ll be talking about forming healthy friendships. The importance of making Godly friends is a valuable life skill whether you’re 12 or 27 or 53 (like me), whether you’re single, married, kids or no kids. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.” “Don’t be fooled.” In other words, “Don’t delude yourself into thinking that you are incapable of being impacted by other people.” I’ve heard it said, and you’ve probably heard it too, “Your character is the sum total of the 5 people you spend the most time with.” In other words, the kind of friends you have determine the kind of person you’re becoming. Think about that. That’s why we have to be intentional about the people in our lives and the people in our kids’ lives. Don’t miss this Sunday and this crucial conversation.
And speaking of conversations, there has been a lot of talk this week about masks/face coverings. First of all, let’s just make sure that whatever conversation you engage in that you always keep Ephesians 4:29 in mind, “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” Since the beginning of the pandemic our church has been following our local and state government mask mandate. This week those mandates have been officially lifted in our State, County, and City. As a church, we have been requiring our Staff & Volunteers to wear masks and simply encouraging others to do so. Beginning this Sunday, we will no longer require Staff or Volunteers to wear them. However, we will continue to provide them for those who need one. And we know and understand that many people, including Staff & Volunteers will still choose to wear facemasks, and we fully support their personal decision to do so. As we always do at Coastal, continue to use wisdom and discernment and above all else, show love and grace to all people in whatever personal decision they make. And even on occasion, be willing to set aside your own personal preferences for the love of others.
Oh and on an unrelated note, not only were people freaking out this week over a possible gas shortage, but evidently there is/was a Chick-fil-a Sauce shortage and a chicken wing shortage! I seriously wish we would display the same sense of urgency with “sharing and experiencing the LIFE and LOVE of Jesus with Charleston and the world” that we do with the silly and ultimately unimportant things of this world.
I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
It’s almost here – SUMMER!! One of the ways our church marks the beginning of Summer is through something called Summer of IMPACT! If you are fairly new to Coastal, Summer of IMPACT is a month-long effort (the entire month of June) where we as a church saturate our community with the love of Jesus through simple acts of service. There is something for everyone – from serving through our existing partnerships with non-profit organizations all over Charleston like the Lowcountry Food Bank, Soldiers Angels, the Ronald McDonald House, Tri-County Family Ministries, and Lowcountry Orphan Relief, to sewing pillowcases for the Children’s Hospital, to helping widows, the elderly, and single moms with small home projects, to feeding, clothing, and bring supplies to literally hundreds of hungry, hurting, and homeless people all over Charleston. There are opportunities nearly every day of the month. You simply sign-up and then show-up. It’s literally that easy. Every project has a leader and every project is well-organized.
So here’s what I am asking you to do RIGHT NOW:
Click on this link: https://coastalcommunitychurch.org/outreach/
Take a look at all the opportunities. Find the project(s) right for you and then sign up today! You can sign up for as many opportunities as you want directly from our website. And by the way, you don’t even have to call Coastal your home to participate! Spread the word (forward this email) and invite and bring your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to serve!
If you are looking to Make an IMPACT in our community, this is the way to do it! Let’s make this the best Summer ever! I love you, I love our church, and I love being your Pastor!
In His Service & Yours,
Pastor Chris
Alright everyone – this Sunday, May 9th, is Mother’s Day! We kick off a new series called, “Conversations.” The idea for the series is that there are some important, crucial conversations that every parent needs to be prepared to have with their kids. But don’t worry, this series is for everyone, whether you’re a parent or not, because what we’re going to be talking about in this series are some foundational life truths that all of us need to have a handle on and, yes, have the ability to pass on to the next generation. We’ll cover things like forming healthy friendships, being a disciple in the digital age, holding on to your faith. And this Sunday we begin with one of the most important conversations you need to be prepared to have and have a grip on – don’t let anyone steal your identity. It’s going to be a great series to kick off on Mother’s Day and take us to the Summer. Don’t miss it! And as always, make sure you invite and bring your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers! It’s going to be a BIG DAY! We have a gift for all the Moms (and women), fun giveaways at the end of each service, a photo booth, Baby/Child Dedication during the service, and FREE Kona Ice! It’s going to be a great day for many of you to return to in-person worship!
I also want to thank those of you who started parking further away on Sunday mornings. That will be especially important this Sunday on Mother’s Day! There is plenty of parking at Oakland Elementary School, down the first drive right past the Greenway. There is also parking available behind the Middle School where our Coastal Kidz container is located. Again, think with our Guests in mind.
And speaking of the Coastal Kidz container – every Saturday morning at 8am we meet there to unload it and set everything up at Orange Grove Middle School. When we’re done we go over to the church and set up the chairs. We could always use your help!
The other thing that May always marks is Teacher Appreciation Week at Oakland Elementary School – Monday, May 17th – Friday, May 21st. We have a special relationship with the school. Each year we go over the top to express our love and appreciation to the Teachers and Staff of Oakland. We have several special things planned – lunch, breakfast, gift cards, small gifts. Just remember that all of our community outreach projects (this one included) are funded by your consistent, generous giving. You can give through our website or simply text ANY amount to 843-277-8337.
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
SUNDAYS
8:30am, 10:00am, 11:30am
460 Arlington Drive,
Charleston, SC 29414
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